


Sensation

by TheAzureFox



Category: Library of Ruina (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, slightly self-indulgent and slightly a Roland character study, takes place during the Tiphereth chitchat, touchstarved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:00:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27687284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAzureFox/pseuds/TheAzureFox
Summary: Roland craves Angela's touch.
Relationships: Angela (Lobotomy Corporation)/Roland (Library of Ruina)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	Sensation

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place during the Tiphereth chitchat of the latest update because I found it interesting that Tiphereth can't find Roland and yet never seemed once to think of the possibility he could be with Angela lol.

“Sit still.”

Two words that should be easy to obey. They form a simple command, something that should be simple to do. And yet for Roland, who should be able to follow such a simple request, he finds he cannot do such a thing so easily.

The problem comes from in front of him, where a certain blue-haired lady is inspecting him over, her fingers treading carelessly over the silk of his suit. She’s making small, fussy fixes to his outfit, almost as insistent as Yesod, but there is something in her eyes, a strangeness that is almost unlike her. Her hands adjust his tie, slip over the glossiness of his buttons, and dig into the space between his cuffs and shirt sleeve. 

Her gaze follows every move she makes, golden eyes scathing as if she’s unsatisfied by the changes she’s making. Roland can feel her touch even despite the thickness of his suit, can feel the way her fingers press down and how a strange prickle of warmth follows the sensation.

“I’m not good at sitting still, Angela,” Roland says, his voice an airy complaint. 

It’s not exactly a lie, either. Sure, he’s had to sit still more than once in his life - especially when under the scrutiny of those higher ranked than himself - but he finds himself unable to do the same at the moment, squirming under the gaze of the woman in front of him. 

Something about the way Angela is looking at him...hyperfixated on the tidiness of his outfit to the point her fingers slip so easily against his skin...makes him want to fidget and hop around, a strange flightiness to his being. 

Usually, he’s not like this. Usually, he can handle Angela in close proximity to himself, can handle the way she sometimes closes in on him like a cat does a mouse. He’s never noticed it being a problem before, at the very least, but he certainly is now, as Angela’s touch leaves him craving for more and more of the soft, fizzly sensation that she leaves on his skin.

“I’m starting to think Yesod is right,” Angela says, pulling away after minutes of painstaking fussing, “you need to take better care of yourself and your outfit.”

“I like the way I dress, thank you,” he mutters with an air of sarcasm.

Angela pulls away, frowning. The tingle on his skin starts to go with her, and Roland can sense the withdrawal immediately settle in. He tries not to act on it, repressing the feelings of craving that echo in him as he scratches the back of his neck.

“I understand that.” Angela says, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “But it won’t do to keep taking care of yourself so poorly.”

“Now you’re sounding even more like Yesod.”

“...” Angela sighs. She takes a seat across from him - occupying the horizontal surface of her desk as she gazes at him. He shifts in his chair, eyebrows raising.

“What?” He asks.

“I’m worried for you.” She says.

Roland’s eyes widen for a moment, then narrow back into their normal position. “Huh? About what?”

“You’ve been becoming more and more stressed.” She comments. “What, do you think I haven’t noticed? I’m more than capable of picking up on your change of moods, Roland. And you’ve been getting a lot more...stormy, lately.”

“Stormy?” He cracks a slight grin at that, amused.

Angela looks slightly annoyed. “It was the best word I could come up with.”

“I think you need to update your thesaurus.”

“And I think you need to lay off the mocking.”

Angela tilts her head upwards, but it’s not in that typical condescending way of hers, the way she used to look at him when he arrived to the Library. Instead, it’s kind of a playful gesture - the closest Angela can get to being playful, anyways - with her awkward smile and her eyes alight with what can only be described as sarcastic mischief. 

He huffs, knowing there is no way to tease her back for that, so he instead switches the subject. “What did you need me for, anyways?”

“Hm? Weren’t you the one who came to me?”

“I mean, yeah, I did but...you invited me up here.”

“I did. And?”

“You usually don’t talk to me unless you need something.”

“I could say the same of you.” Angela sighs. “Although I suppose we haven’t been talking quite as much.”

“It looks like we’re at an impasse as to why we’re both here right now.”

“Mm.” Angela slips off her desk, approaching him. He watches her, curious, but finds himself even more inquisitive at the way her hands reach towards his face.

Her skin brushes against his and again that strange tingling sensation follows. A hunger of some sort gnaws at him, tearing at his flesh as Angela continues doing...whatever it is she’s doing. 

He doesn’t dislike it, being touched like this. Rather...it’s more like he wants to be touched more, wants Angela to keep moving his face around with gentle tugs of her fingertips and less for her to stare at him like she doesn’t know what to do. The warmth of her skin - the proof of blood flowing through her veins - makes him crave more for her touch than he’s realized, leaning into her touch against his better judgement. 

On some level, Roland realizes he must be touch starved. It’s been so long since he’s last let his guard down to let someone touch him like this that the mere sensation of someone else touching him sets him on overdrive. Yet, he find he doesn’t exactly dislike the fact that it’s Angela who’s setting off his touch starved nerves like this. Instead, Roland finds himself almost addicted to her touch, gaze patiently watching the way her fingers trace carelessly over the edge of his jaw, moving down to the curve of his chin. Her thumb slips up to his lips, pulling down his bottom lip, and he finds himself parting his mouth in response, not knowing quite well why he does it but doing it anyways, breath shaky.

Then, as if Angela’s had an unpleasant realization, she suddenly drops her hand from his face, eyes wide, before she spins on her heels, back to him. 

“I think it’s time you return to your duties,” Angela says, her voice with a lilt of tightness that’s unlike her.

He frowns. “Already?” He says, blurting out the word with a kind of desperation that’s just as unlike. 

“I can hear Tiphereth complaining quite loudly about you not being around,” the woman says. “Though, it looks like she got the lower floor Patrons involved. Even still, you should go and check on her.”

“Is that your way of dismissing me?”

Angela doesn’t turn to look at him and he furrows his eyebrows at her strange silence, noticing with curious eyes how she seems to be looking at her hands. He opens his mouth to say something, when she curls her hands and faces him, a polite frown on her face.

“Hurry to Tiphereth,” she says. “I’m sure that girl would appreciate it.”

Roland frowns, but nods his head in understanding, realizing though the coolness of her tone it’s better not to push. He gets to his feet, burning still fresh on his skin, before he retreats from the Keter floor, leaving Angela behind as he intends on making good of her request.

**Author's Note:**

> Touch starvation is an interesting thing lol and I do kind of wonder if, in a more in-depth universe, Roland does suffer from touch starvation considering he's been alone for most of his life and after his wife died he probably hasn't gotten close enough to anyone else to ward off touch deprivation
> 
> And yeah i know i'm getting too far deep into psychology and physiology here for a video game series but it's kind of fun to think of how deep Roland's character truly goes and how things like being touchstarved can impact canon aspects of his character (such as his obvious depression).


End file.
